Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita 10

10. The Prajâpati (Lord of Creatures), having in the beginning created mankind together with Yajna, said—"By this shall you multiply: this shall be the milch cow of your desires.

11. “Cherish the Devas with this, and may those Devas cherish you: thus cherishing one another, you shall gain the highest good.

12. "The Devas, cherished by Yajna, will give you desired-for objects.” So, he who enjoys objects given by the Devas, without offering in return to them, is verily a thief. 

13. The good, eating the remnants of Yajna, are freed from all sins: but who cook food only for themselves, those sinful ones eat sin.
 
14. From food come forth beings; from rain food is produced; from Yajna arises rain and Yajna is born of Karma.

15. Know Karma to have risen from the Veda, and the Veda from the Imperishable. Therefore the all-pervading Veda is ever centred in Yajna.

16. He, who here follows not the wheel thus set revolving, living in sin, and satisfied in the senses, O son of Prithâ—he lives in vain. 

17. But the man who is devoted to the Self, and is satisfied with the Self, and content in the Self alone, he has no obligatory duty. 

18. He has no object in this world to gain by doing an action, nor does he incur any loss by non-performance of action—nor has he need of depending on any being for any object. 

19. Therefore, do you always perform actions which are obligatory, without attachment—by performing action without attachment, one attains to the highest. 

20. Verily by action alone, Janaka (the King of Videha) and others attained perfection—also, simply with the view for the guidance of men, you should perform action.

21. Whatsoever the superior person does, that is followed by others. What he demonstrates by action, that people follow. 

—Bhagavad Gita, 3:10-21